Mine car latch assembly



Oct.' 12, 1948. H. H. PANCAKE MINE CAR LATCH ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 16, 1943 ,5 Sheets-Sheet 1 NVENTOR I I w u] d): BY

Harm H. H- PANCAKE MINE CAR LATCH ASSEMBLY Oct. 12, 1948.

Filed Dec. 16, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 NVENTOR f7. Puma/re Herman Oct. 12, 148. H. H. PANCAKE I MINE CAR LATCH ASSEMBLY I 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 16, 1943 I M V2 22 A I i 11-: PT [52' INVENTOR aka Hermarz/ilime ATTORN EY WW5 w Oct. 12, i948. Q H. PANCAKE 2,451,406

MINE CAR LATCH ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. )5, 1943 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 g INVENTOR ATTO R N EY Oct. 12, 1948. H. H. PANCAKE 2,451,406

MINE CAR LATCH ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 16, 1943 $hwts-$heet5 =1 qll- INVENTOR Hagan/ Emmi Patented Oct. 12, 1948 MINE CAR LATCH ASSEMBLY Herman H. Pancake, Huntington, W. Va., assignor to American Car and Foundry Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 16, 1943, Serial No. 514,467

14 Claims. 1

This invention relates to latches in general and in particular to latches for use on drop bottom mine cars.

Nearly all drop bOttOm mine cars built in the past have been controlled by means of a single lever pivoted at the end Wall of the car and formed with a hook engaging a door lug at the rear central portion of the last door. In order to operate the latch arm trackside means was provided to lift the latch. This of necessity required the latch to project beyond the side wall of the car. Due to the projection of the latch arm beyond the side wall the arm was frequently bent in service, with the result that th'edoors could not be unlatched until the arm was straightened. At other times the latch arm would engage trackside obstructions and trip the doors thus tying up the track and preventing movement of any cars until the dropped doors had been jacked into closed position. Frequently the car had to be unloaded before the doors could be raised. It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide a drop bottom car with a latch assembly having the parts so arranged as to remain at all times wholly within the clearance limits of the car.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a latch mechanism for drop bottom'mine cars, which mechanism can be operated only by means of special trackside tripping means.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a drop bottom mine car having the latch assembly operated by a trip lever carried and protected by the side sills adjacent their ends.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from a study of the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevational view of the rear end of the car but with parts broken away to better disclose the latch assembly;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the construction of Fig. 1 with parts broken away to disclose the construction;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 3'-3'of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the end of the sill shown in Fig. 1;

M Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a slight modification in the hook form;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a slight modification of the sill and latch assembly; l

Fig. 7 is an end view ofjthe construction of Fig.

6 with parts broken away to disclose the assembly;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the sill construction of Fig. '7

Fig. 9 is an elevational view showing a still further slight modification in latch assembly;

Fig, 10 is an end view of the construction of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is an elevationalview similar to Fig. 9 but showing a slight modification thereof, and h Fig. 12 is an end view of the construction shown in Fig. 11. v

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the car body construction disclosed ln'the various figures is identical as is also certain other parts of the construction dealing with the latch assembly. Accordingly, wherever possible the same reference numerals will beused to refer to identical parts in the various figures. clearly shown the car is constructed with spaced side sills 2 to which are connected the sloping side upon which the cars run. The side sills, as clearly shown, are of angle form adjacent their ends} and have attached thereto end sill structures S which include bumpers B and draft means D. As shown the side sills are formed with a bottom outwardly directed horizontal flange III, which ex-' tends from end to end of the sill, and with an in' clined top flange I 2 which extends more or less continuous from end sill structure toend sill structure.

In order to release the Various latch assemblies,

later to be described, a special trackside trip'T is provided as clearly shown in Figs. 1 2, 6, '7 and 9 to 12 inclusive. This trackside trip is formed with an upwardly open U-shaped base member |8 welded or otherwise secured to a strap 20 pivoted.

as at 22 to a supporting base 23. The U-shaped base member is provided with spring seats adapted to receive and support the lower ends of springs 24, the upper ends of which bear against spring seats carried by a vertically movable house ing member 26. The sides of this housing member are formed with elongated slots 28 permitting, vertical movement of the housing relative to se-i curing bolts 30 extending through the arms of the base member. The sides of the housing are also provided with openings through whicha pin 3;

may extend to support a roller 34. It will thusbe latching movement of the door supporting hook thereby releasing the door. In some operations the emptycars are returned over the dumping station and this-will require that the tripping member be rotated to the line and dash position of Figure 2 about the pivot 22. Such movement of the tripping member will also permit passage of cars containing rock or slate, in other words, a selective dumping of the cars. The constructions of Figs, 1 to 8 inclusive may be applied to existing cars without a major change, but the construction of Figs. 9 to 12 may be applied with a 'minimum'of change to the existing cars. For this form it is only necessary to cut off the operating arm, slot the sill lower flange and reinforce the sill, then the trip lever and pusher rod may be connected to the sill and arm respectively.

Although the latch assembly has been described more or less in detail with specific reference to the drawings, it will be obvious that various modifications and rearrangements of parts, other than those shown and described, may bemade and all such modifications and rearrang'ements of parts are contemplated as fall within the scope of the appended claims defining my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a drop bottom mine car, having load retaining side walls and side sill members, a drop bottom door hingedly carried by the car, and a latch assembly carried by the car and including a part mounted for swinging movement transversely of the car and normally engaging the door to retairiithe same in raised position and movable to release the door for opening, said latch assembly also including an operator part carried by a side sill member and extending longitudinally of the car and located wholly within the area defined by the outermost boundary planes of the side sill member.

2. In a drop bottom mine car having load retaining side walls and side sill members, a drop bottom door hingedly carried by the car, and a latch assembly carried by the car and including a part mounted for swinging movement transversely of the car and normally engaging the door to retain the same in raised position and movable to release the door for opening, said latch assembly also including an operator part carried by a side sill member and extending longitudinally of the car and located wholly within the area defined by the outermost boundary planes of the side sill member, and said operator part and sill member being so constructed and arranged so that said operator part may be moved by trackside means projecting into said area.

3. In a drop bottom mine car having load supporting sill members joined by end sills, a drop bottom door hingedly carried by the car, a latch assembly carried by the car and having a part normally engaging the door to retain the same in raised position and movable to release the door for opening, said assembly including a latch hook mounted for swinging movement transversely of car, latch hook operating means extending transversely of the car and connected to the latch hook, and a trip lever pivot-ally carried by a load supporting sill member and engaging said latch hook operating means to move the same for release of the door, said trip lever being located on the load supporting sill member wholly Within the area defined by the outermost boundary planes of the load supporting sill member.

4. In a drop bottom mine car having load supporting sill members joined by end sills, a drop 6. bottom door hingedly carried by the car, a latch assembly carried by the car and having a part normally engaging the door to retain the same in raisedposition and-movable to release the door for opening, said assembly including a'latch hook, a link connected to said latch hook, a bell-crank carried by one of the end sills and connected to said link, a trip lever pivotally mounted on one oi the side sills, and means interposed between said trip lever and bell-crank for'transmitting motion therebetween. a v 5. In a drop bottom mine car having load supporting sill members joined by end sills, a'drop bottom door hingedly carried by the car, a latch assembly carried by the car and having a part normally engaging the door to retain the same in raised position and movable to release the door for opening, said assembly including a latch hook, a link connected to said latch hook, a bell-crank connected to said link and carried by one of the end sills and located between the horizontal planes defining the sill and a trip lever pivotally mounted on one of the side sills and operatively connected to said bell-crank to operate the same.

6.- In a drop bottom mine car having load supporting sill members joined by end sills, a drop bottom door hingedly'carried by the car, a latch assembly carried by the car and having a part normally engaging the door to retain the same in raised position and movable-to release the door for opening, said assembly including a latch hook, means connected to said latch hook and extending transversely of the car and being carried by one of the end sills between the horizontal planes defining the sill, a trip lever pivotally mounted on one of the side sills for swinging movement in the vertical plane of the sill, and means connecting said'trip lever and first named means.

7. In a drop bottom mine car having load supporting sill members joined by end sills, a drop bottom door hingedly carried by the car, a latch assembly carried by the car and having a part normally engaging the door to retain the same in raised position and movable to release the door for opening, said assembly including a latch book, a trip lever pivotally mounted on one of the side sills for swinging movement in the vertical plane of the sill, and means connecting said trip lever and latch hook for joint operation.

8. In a drop bottom mine car having flanged load supporting sill members supported by flanged wheels, a drop bottom door hingedly carried by the car, a latch assembly also carried by the car and having a part normally engaging the door to retain the same in raised position and movable to release the door for opening, said assembly including a latch hook, and means pivotally carried by one of the sills above a slot in the lower flange and being connected to said latch hook for moving the same to release the door, said means being operable by trackside means projectable through the slot in the sill lower flange.

9. In a drop bottom mine car having flanged load supporting sill members supported by flanged wheels, a drop bottom door hingedly carried by the car, a latch assembly also carried by the car and having a part normally engaging the door to retain the same in raised position and movable to release the door for opening, said assembly including a latch hook, and means pivotally carried by one of the sills above a slot in the lower flange and being connected to said latch hook for moving the same to release the door, said means being operable by trackside means projectable throughii i is the slot in. the silllower flange; and said assembly;- I being located; wholly; between the planes of the wheel flanges;

19; In a droptbottommine .-carhaving load-supporting sill memberssupportedby flanged wheels; at. drog bottomdoor carried by thej can a latch assembly also carried; by: the car and having; a nart; normally engaging the door taretain the'sameinhraised position? and movable. to nelease thev door ior opening, 'said' assembly including a latch hook, and meanspivotall-y; carriediby one of the. sills abotea slot in; the lower flange; and being connected; to said: latch hook for". moving; the same to. release; thedoor; said' meansibeing. operable by-a traekside device1located between'the rails of the track andcproiectable through vthe slot in the sill lower flange;- ;'1l;. I-n=r a dropg'bottom mine ear assembly the;

cornbination with a carhaving flanged side sills mine cars having; flanged loadsupporting sills andvadrop bottom door controlled by a latch hook and; latcharm' comprising; a trip lever adapted: to be pivotally connected. to a load supporting sill; above a slot therein: for: operation by trackside means projectable through the slot, and means pivotally connected to said tri-plever and adaptedtto be connected to the latch arm for joint operation:

l3. In a drop b0ttom' mine car having load retaining side wallsand side sill. members, .a drop bottom door hingedly carried by the car; and a latch assembly carried by the car andincluding a: part mounted for swinging movement transv w h er it; 4 i se e n taed n toretainsthe' same in raised-position, said s ly-i l n l i iena e. m te i iefi' by a side sill member and extending} loiigitu; dinally oi the. car; said operator. rimming atively connected to saidfir t-named pant and movable to releasethe door for openingsaidlatcii assembly in: its entiretybeing located at, .all times wholly withinthe outline of the a; as-defined side sill members v V A I 14. In-va drop-bottommine canhavingloadsfupg Pa t .5 memb e n d i' wee ie a a e. iiv bottomdoor hingedly carried by. the can, a. latch-A assembly carried by the. can anda'compris'in g ar latch hook. normally engaging the door: to retain; the: same raised position. and movable tore.- lease the door for opening, latch hook;-operating meanszreonneote d to: said latch hook ,carr iedby an. end sill and. extending transversely ofv the cartripping means for said latch hook operating; means carriedby a load supporting sillmember and? extending longitudinally of the can and meansr-ope ratively connectingrsaid trippingdneans and'said latch hook operating: means.

HERMAN'H.

' REFERmeEs'enEoJ The following references areofi record in file; of this: patent? f r a v wrrtosnras, thesis; f

Number Name Date:

1,195;975 Carmichael- Aug;29 ;1 9l6' l;7-78;82-8 Field Octil2i' i, 1.9% 1,827,399 Pancake 1 0017:; 13'; 1931-. 1;85-1-,695.- Dendler'n Mar; 29;'132 1,876;637 Dietrichson. Sept. '1-3, 1932 2,001,471 Sanford jMayallif; 1935 2 044 0 19 Sanford J one: 16;. 12936 2,138;695 Duncan Nov: 29; 1938 2,364,554 Sanford" DB6; $1 erase REFE'aENeE's Mining Congress Journal-,5 1944; pages Zand 3..

by thegside walls, door and vertical planes o f the, 

